Eisenhower HS ’18 Grad Wins Jackie Robinson Essay Contest

Participants are asked to share obstacles or challenges that they have had to overcome in life.

Major League Baseball (MLB) recently announced that Astros RBI Softball player Kayla Robinson had been named a winner of the Jackie Robinson “Breaking Barriers” Essay Contest. Kayla formed part of Eisenhower High School’s graduating Class of 2018.

She is pictured being presented with a laptop computer by David James, MLB vice president of Youth Programs. Kayla and her Astros RBI Softball team are currently competing at the RBI World Series this week in Minneapolis, MN. She has been a member of the Astros Youth Academy since its opening in 2010.

For this annual contest, which is the vision of Jackie Robinson’s daughter, Sharon Robinson, participants are asked to share obstacles or challenges that they have had to overcome in life. Kayla Robinson’s entry, titled “The Storm,” is an emotional story of how she and her family have had to overcome the devastation and loss caused by Hurricane Harvey in 2017, Hurricane Katrina while living in Louisiana back in 2005 and other storms. It is an uplifting account of how she has managed to draw the strength to find success, despite the obstacles.

This fall, Kayla will be attending Grambling State University, where she will play softball on a scholarship.

“Kayla is a very special young lady,” said Daryl Wade, director of the Astros Youth Academy. “She was a little girl when we first opened the Academy, playing baseball with the boys, and was one of the better players. Once we got the softball program going, she worked hard to become one of our best. We are very proud of her.”

Congratulations!